Weather-strip attachment.



- i A J 4 J T @FFIQE.

WEATHER-STRIP ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 11915.

Application filed September 15, 1913. Serial No. 789,772.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. GODFREY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Somerville, county 'of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Weather- Strip Attachments, of which thefollowing description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in weather strip attachmentsespecially adapted for sealing the bottom of doors, although the same isequally applicable to other uses.

The object of this invention is to improve and simplify the constructionof weather strip attachments in which the weather strips are adapted tobe withdrawn into the edge of thedoor or other device to which they areapplied when the same is open and to be projected downwardly therefrominto engagement/with the floor or sill when the door is closed. Indevices of this character the weather strip is guided at its ends and ismoved laterally by means of links, toggles or other connections whichare secured to and operated by an actuator.

.In most instances the actuator is located within a casing and has aportion which projects beyond the edge of the door and is adapted toengage with the door jamb as the door is closed. Such engagement withthe door jamb serves to move the actuator longitudinally and to therebyact uponthe weather strip to move it laterally in the manner aforesaid.

In devices heretofore constructed the spring which operates to withdrawthe actuator has been placed in various awkward positions interferingwith other parts or making a complicated structure, especially when thespring is placed at the end of the actuatorthe connecting devices cannotbe properly positioned to force down the extreme ends ofthe weatherstrip. In such devices also the actuator has been operated eitherdirectly or through an adjustable member secured thereto. v

In accordancewith my invention I recess the actuator to receive acompression spring and I provide an independently supported andadjustable plunger to cooperate with the actuator to force the sameforward.

My improved adjustable plunger is carried by the end plate and fitsclosely therein presenting a neat and finished appearance.

By such construction the attachment is much more easily applied to thedoor or moving part, is capable of being made much stronger arlrdpresents a better appearance when app 1e The novel features of theinvention will more fully appear from the following specification andthe drawings, and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing; Figure 1 represents a door partly in section showingthis invention as applied thereto with the door closed; Fig. 2 is asimilar view of a door partly in section showing this invention with theweather strip withdrawn into the base of the door and the plunger forthe actuator extending through the edge of the door ready for engagementwith the door j amb, a modified form of plunger being shown. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view on lines 33 Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a sectional viewof a lower portion of the door showing the end of the actuator, a slideabutting the same and a relatively adjustable thrust block and Fig. 5 isa sectional view of the plunger on lines 55 Fig. 4.

This invention is adapted to be applied to any form of door and may beoperated with a sliding door as well as with a hinged door. In order toapply this invention to the door, the door is grooved and the weatherstrip attachment placed therein.

In the embodiment of the invention which isillustrated in the drawing ofthisapplication, 1 represents the door, 2 a slot in the base of the doorin which the weather strip attachment is inserted. End plates 3 and 4:which are fastened to the edges of the door serve to close the grooveand also to prevent longitudinal movement of the weather strip. The endplate I is provided with an orifice 5 through which the end of theplunger is adapted toproject for engagement with thedoor jamb or otherrelatively stationary member.

The weather strip attachment comprising my invention consists of achannel shaped casing 6 U-shaped in cross section and made preferably ofmetal, which serves to receive the weather strip when retracted and alsoinolosesand acts as a guide for the actuator and'its spring in themanner hereinafter described.

. The weather strip 7 comprises a smaller channel shaped framepreferably of metal adapted to slide within the main casing 6,

- this embodiment may comprise a longitudinal member 9, preferably wood,rectangular in cross section, which fits within the base of the channelshaped casing. The casing thus constitutes a guide which embraces threesides of the actuator. Pins, 10, and 11 which pass through the sides ofthe casing adjacent to the remaining side of the actuator serve toconfine it from lateral movement while permitting free longitudinalmovement. a

The pins 10 and 11 preferably engage in recesses 12 and 13 in theactuator which re cesses are of just the necessary length to permit thedesired movement of the actuator. -.-The actuator may however be madesufliciently narrow so that these pins may be placed below it withoutinterfering with the weather strip.

The upper edge of the actuator is providedwith a longitudinallyextending recess 14 which is adapted to receive a helical compressionspring 15. A pin '16 passed through the casing serves as an abutment forone end of the spring while theother end thereof abuts against theshoulder 17 at the other end of therecess. It will be apparent that bythe construction the helical spring is securely held in place and isprevented from buckling by reason of the factv that it is whollyinclosed by the casing and actuator. Being a compression spring 'itcannot break loose and become inoperative.

In assembling the above construction the spring is placed in the recessin the actuator and the actuator thereupon thrust within the U-shapedcasing. l/Vhen inplace the pin 16 is passed through the casing at theend of the spring. If, however, the pin passes through between thespirals of the spring it will serve equally well since it would merelyshorten the effective length of the spring. Itwill thus be observed thatthe construction is very simple in character and very easily assembled.

I provide an adjustable plunger independently supported in the end plate4,

to engage the door j amb or other relatively stationary element andforce the actuator forward. In the structure illustrated a sleeve 18 issecured to or madeintegral with the end plate and is positioned inalinement with the actuator 9. This sleeve is slotted asishown at 19. itslide 20 engaging the actuator at one end is mounted in this sleeve andis provided with fins 21 projecting into the slots 19 in the sleeve. Theoutward movement of the slide is limited by the fins engaging the endsof the slots. The end of such as indicated at 24.

In order to impart lateral. movement to the weather strip from thelongitudinal movement of the actuator links 25 or other" suitableconnections well known in the art are prov ded. In the constructionsheretoforenamed the connections between thesetuator and the weatherstrip: have been placed at such distances from the end of the weatherstrip that it could warp up at its .ends and leave a crack sufiicient toadmit considerable. amount of air. In devices constructed in accordancewith my invention 1n which the spring for the actuator is seatedln arecess in the back thereof ample provision is made forplacing the linksor' other means connecting the actuator and the weather strip ad acentto the ends thereof" so that upon the forward movement of the actuatorthe ends of theweather strip will be projected firmly against the doorsill. i

In the form of my :invention illustrated in Fig. 2 the actuator isformed with an integrally reduced end to provide. a plunger,

26 which is adapted to project through the orifice into the end platemthe manner aforesaid. Inthe device in the form of my inventionillustrated; in Figs. land 4: the links25' connecting the actuator withthe Weatherstrip are likewise closely adjacent V to, the end of theweather stripand actuator s nce the space required for the sleeve andits plunger occupy but about two inches whichls relatively smallcompared with the length of the weather strip.

reason of the adjustable plunger being thus lndependently mounted; notonly is the device more easily applied to the door but 3 the possibilityof breaking of a projecting portion which cannot be easily replacedbysubstitution of a new part is'avoided.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may bemade with in the spirlt of the inventionas defined in" the claim. I V VV V .Havmgdescribed my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let-I ters Patent isz-v V v V In a weather strip, a metalliccasing therefor U-shaped in, cross 'section,-,aone piece actuatorlongitudinally. slidably mounted in said casing adjacent to the basethereof, a recess in the top of said actuator intermediate of its endsand adjacent to said base, a compression spring in said recess in closedwithin" the walls of said casing and the wall of the recess of saidactuator wherebyfthespring will be prevented from buckling, a pinsecured in the walls of the metallic casing passing through said recessI In testimony whereof, I have signed my adjacent the end of the spring,and means name to this specification, in the presence of connecting saidactuator to said Weather two subscrlblng wltnesses.

strip adjacent the ends thereof and adapted WILLIAM H. GODFREY. toproject said Weatherstrip laterally as Witnesses:

' the actuator is moved longitudinally against THOMAS J. DRUMMOND, theforce of the spring; ELIZABETH G. Moms.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G.

